Preparation of fur for shrinking and felting



atented dune 10, 1930 UNITED STATES PAT-ENTIOFFICE JOHN H. MARTIN, 0F BALDWIN, NEW YORK PREPARATION OF FUR FOR, SHRINKING AND FELTING No Drawing. Application filed July 14,

It is well known that animal fibre which point of view, although not from a hygienic strongly alkaline.

standpoint because of its tokic quality. Some other substances, such as sodium peroxide and orthosodium perborate have been proposed and are used to a limited extent although they have been'found to be too In the development of the present invention it has been determined that the action of any substance which gives satisfactory results, or nearly satisfactory results, is of a two-fold nature, being hydrolytic and oxidizing in effect on the proteins of the fibre and it has also beendetermined that the hydrolysis, which depends upon the nature and strength of the acid, time and temperature, should be mild, such as is sufficient to carry the action only to the peptone stage. In the effort to avoid the toxic efiect of the nitrate of mercury and at the same time to produce the otherwise satisfactory results due to its use, it has been found, by the present invention, that the desired action upon the fibre is effected by the use of disodium hydrogen phosphate in conjunction 4 with an oxidizing agent, which substances have no known toxic effect. The disodium hydrogen phosphate shows an alkaline reaction but only suflicient to carry hydrolysis to the point desired, while the addition of .hydrogen peroxide, both substances being I in solution, produces the desired oxidizing effect. Practical tests of these substances with the different furs employed in the manufacture of hats have shown such furs, thus treated, to be equal in felting and shrinking qualities to fur treated with nitrate of mercury, with superior texture and feel.

1928. Serial No. 292,911.

It will be understood that by reason of the differences between different kinds of animal fibres the proportions of the disodium hydrogen phosphate and the oxidizing agent employed will be varied more or less. It has been found that the amount of disodium hydrogen phosphate can be varied considerably without any appreciable effect, while the amount of available oxygen introduced by the oxidizing agent should be not more than that required by the particular fur to be treated. By way of example, it may be stated that white coney skins can be treated successfully by brushing the fur with a solution containing 30 grams of disodium hyin the usual way after drying. As another example, it may be stated that Australian rabbit skins are successfully treated by brushing the .fur with a solution containing grams of disodium hydrogen phosphate with 4% of hydrogen peroxide per liter, the skins being worked up in the usual way after drying.

It will be further understood that the disodium hydrogen phosphate and the oxidizing agent can be used, in solution, either separately or in mixture.

I claim as my invention:

1. The improvement in the art of preparing fur for shrinking and felting, which consists in subjecting the fur to the action of a solution of disodium hydrogen phosphate and an oxidizing agent.

2. The improvement in the art of preparing fur for shrinking and felting, which consists in subjecting the fur to the action of-a mixture of a solution of disodium hydrogen phosphate and a solution of hydrogen peroxide.

This specification signed this 12th day of July A. D. 192s. JOHN H. MARTIN. 

